Surprise Packages are so much FUN!

My mom and I recently decided that we would randomly send each other gifts from online each month. We put a cap of $20 on it and try to buy something handmade. We did this because we love to get stuff in the mail and its so much fun to get something good, especially from other people. Who can resist a good surprise? So the first time I sent my mom this wonderful sample tin of homemade teas that I got from http://www.teaman.etsy.com/ and they are so good. My favorite so far is strawberry tea.

So to my delight I got a surprise package in the mail yesterday and it had this wonderful natural spray lotion and handmade soap. So far I have tried out the spray lotion and I love it. It is very light and smell delicious. The scent is Summer Green. My mom purchased it at http://www.plunksoap.etsy.com/

I can't wait to find her next great gift.

Play! Play! Play and then Play some MORE!!!

I am having so much fun these days just playing. Playing with my kids, playing with my husband and playing with my friends. I have learned to slow down and just enjoy each day for what it is. Which to me at the moment is an reason to play. I have cut back on the time I spend at work and plan to play away the summer with my family. I know we are going to have so much fun.
It takes a lot to learn that everything doesn't have to get done at once. That the house doesn't have to be spotless. That everyone is really not counting on you to do everything. You don't really have to write something new on your blog everyday. That sometimes it is more fun to hop on your motorcycle and go for a ride instead of weed eating the yard. That if you only learn to laugh more then more people will be laughing along with you.

I read a quote once that said. "I don't regret the opportunities I have taken only the ones that I didn't take. So know I take every opportunity I can. " That seemed like a great way to think and that is the way that I look at the world. My husband says we are "What Next?" kind of people. Not the kind of people to live in the past, dwell on whats been done and relive our regrets. We are the kind of people who are wondering what we are going to experience next. I just love the way he thinks.

Wow, that was me feeling a little philosophical. Hope you enjoyed it.

The list of things I am Thankful Could go on Forever

It is the time of year where we all start thinking about what we are thankful for. It is so easy to remember what sucks but it is so much more gratifying to think of all the wonderful things we are lucky to have in our lives. I am, by nature a very optimistic person and I try very hard to only think of the wonderful things I am lucky to have. Sometimes it is harder then others but most of the time it is so easy. I just look around at my wonderful family, friends and the world I live in. I go to bed each night thinking I what a lucky person I am and my dreams are wonderful.

When I was younger and used to get frustrated or down on my luck about situations or family I would turn on Jerry Springer and it would work magic. If you ever thought your life sucked then you just had to watch Jerry Springer and realize that life is not so bad. My brother wasn’t sleeping with my sister, my mom wasn’t sleeping with boyfriend and my husband and my friends hadn’t all stabbed me in the back. I know it was probably not healthy to feel better because other people had such miserable lives but it certainty put things into perspective back then.

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving holiday and may all the things you are thankful for make you feel fortunate and loved.

I am 85% Sure. Really!

I just read a very interesting article in O magazine. The question people had to answer was what are you sure of. There where some incredible answers but the one that spoke to me the most was the answer . I am 85% sure and that’s okay. That of course is not a direct quote but what I summarized from the article and I love it. That are so many things in life that you can’t be 100% sure of and if you are 85% sure then that is great. For some reason I found that to be a very comforting thought. There are really lots of things I know for sure.

I would do anything to protect my children
I have found the love of my life
My family is always first
My family is always there when I need them
I really like who I am as a person
We are all going to die someday and it is okay
If we try our best and fail the world is not going to end
A baby hug is the coziest hug in the world
Yellow is not a good color for me because it makes me look ill
Singing in the shower is good for your health

Now on the other hand there are so many things I don’t know for sure but feel pretty comfortable with. All of those thoughts, plans, dreams, hopes, and concerns are going to fall in my 85% sure of column and it is all going to be okay because at the end of the day, my life is GOOD!

The Most EXCITING THING!

The most arousing thing my husband can say is

"I'll Take Care of That"

"Let me do the Dishes"

"I'll put the kids to bed"

"I love to clean the bathroom"

The Freedom of Riding on the Back of The Motorcycle.

Do you every dream of a place with no worries, no concerns and no interruptions? Well I have found that place. It is riding behind my husband on his KLX Motorcycle. I never thought riding behind someone on a motorcycle could be so much fun but I am so glad that I did it.
When I swing my leg over that seat and snuggle in behind my husband I know that for a little while I don’t have to worry about a thing. I can’t talk to anyone, I can’t answer the phone and I can’t accomplish anything. I just have to be, relax and enjoy. I only have to hold on and move with the bike which just comes naturally. I feel the most protected and safe when I am riding behind my husband. I trust him completely to take me wherever he wants to go and that he will protect me at all costs. You would think that be that exposed would be scary or terrifying but it isn’t for me. It is like a whole new world has opened up. I feel like I am floating on a cloud of pleasure and just soaring thru the atmosphere. I can feel every change in the environment. I can feel the shade of the trees cooling my body and the heat of the direct sun warming me up again. I can smell all the wonderful scents of summer, the flowers, the trees, the grass and the BBQ’s. I can’t see what is ahead of me but I can see all around me. I have nothing better to do then simple enjoy the experience.

We are going to get me my own bike but I am in no hurry. I know I will enjoy it but for now I am more then happy to strap that helmet on and just hold onto my husband and experience the open road with the one I love.

My husband and I at the top of a mountain we rode the bike to.

The internet has gone on VACATION!!!

My husband and I have decided to take a break from the Internet and Cable TV so that we can spend more time together as a family. So we have eliminated the internet at home and are only using it for a limited amount of time a work.
It is amazing how much time we all spent online. The first couple of days were very enlightening. When there was nothing exciting to do the TV or the Internet went on in an instant. Now that it is not there we have been reading more, playing cards and spending a lot more time talking to each other. My children even seemed to adapt faster then my husband and I. I do love to write and surf and promote my business but I want that to be my second choice and my family to be my first.
So, the blog writing will be a lot shorter and not so much for a while so I hope everyone enjoys there summer and I will be back to do more when the sun stops shining so much.

Treasury Love on Etsy

I am in love with Treasuries on Etsy. I feel like I won the lottery when I get to make one. I always sit here anxiously waiting for the little box to pop up so I can fill in my Title and start sharing all the great people I find on Etsy. I usually get them out of my Favorites and they also just happen. I don't usually have a plan. I met some nice people recently and I wanted to showcase there work. I ended up doing a purplish silver theme and I am really pleased with the way it turned out. I also get really excited when I land in a treasury. The gold star makes me smile. I have added a link to get to this Treasury, it will be good for a few more days if you want to post a comment.

Crafting through the Generations

I recently was talking to my Uncle and we were discussing parenting. I wrote to him that “Parenting is a constant exploration in emotions for me. My kids crack me up daily, frustrate me endlessly and make my heart grow bigger everyday”.

Well yesterday my 6 year old son gets up and asks if he can have a glass container. Of course, it being glass I ask why and he says “I want to make something”. I am very curious at this point and want to know what he is making. He says that he would like to make it by himself and can he have some glue and go down to our craft cabin. He is a very responsible little boy and very serious when he is creating so I let him. We end up needing to go into town so we hit the craft store and the dollar store. He very sweetly asks for more supplies and we get him a very inexpensive glass container, plastic jewels and a bag of shells. When we get home he goes straight back to the craft cabin and asks to be left alone again. I can’t wait to see what has happened and what he has made. About ½ an hour later he announces that we can all go in and see what he has done. He can’t bring them to us because the glue isn’t dry yet. We go in and see and he has created to glass scenes with shells and colored sand on the inside and jewels glued to the outside. One of them has a fish he cut out from a toy wrapper that he glued to the outside of one of the glasses. He has also created a sunset picture out of colored sand. My heart just got bigger. I just love it when he lets his creativity flow and that every little thing he picks up he thinks of something to do with it.
My youngest son just turned 5 over the weekend and he lets his creativity flow threw when you hand him a piece of clay. He loves to create new people, aliens, transformers and anything he can battle with his existing toys. Play Dough used to be a favorite when they were younger but it dries out to fast and ended in the carpet. Now he has his own clay board and we share the Fimo clay with him. Sometimes he likes to cook his creations but mostly he just makes one, plays with it a while and then starts over with another one. He makes his people with all their parts and very proportionately. He is very energetic and incredible adventurous but with a piece of clay he can sit and play for hours. It is like it transforms him. I feel that he is just in his element and I think as the years go by my boys will continue to amaze me in all aspects of life.